Type is the voice of an interface. Before a visitor reads a single word, the letterforms have already told them whether the brand is serious or playful, premium or approachable. That is why I start every visual direction with type, not colour.
Scale creates hierarchy
A strict type scale — a few sizes with a fixed ratio — does more for clarity than any layout trick. When headlines, subheads and body text each own one size, visitors scan effortlessly and always know what matters most.
- One family, three to four sizes, zero guesswork
- Line length between 45 and 75 characters
- Contrast checked against real backgrounds, not white
Pairing with restraint
Most websites need one typeface, used well. A second face earns its place only when it does a job the first cannot — a display cut for headlines beside a workhorse for body text. Anything more is decoration, and decoration is debt.
Good typography is invisible. Great typography makes the message feel inevitable.
The next time a design feels off but you cannot say why, look at the type first. Spacing, scale and rhythm fix more interfaces than any redesign ever will.
